Summer Potting Wreath

I made this backyard garden wreath using all dollar store items at a cost of $6.00.

I started off with a pool noodle and duct taped it together then wrapped it in taupe fabric.  Since this was going to be large, I knew it would take a lot of work and materials to fill in, so I decided to wander around the dollar store and find larger items and came up with a potting theme.

The pots were three for a dollar and were attached with jute, and the garden tools were three for a dollar twenty-five and were attached in the same way.  The bird was two dollars and hot glued and then wrapped with raffia to resemble a nest.

I put the Gerbera daisies on stems and hot glued them in the pots and stuffed them with raffia.

There are five or six types of greenery which I had on hand.

I am in complete love with this one!

Spray Painted Headboard

 I spray painted my headboard today as the finish was rubbing off, exposing the chrome which was not a good look.  I wanted to change the headboard because I'm really tired of it but I'm not in a position to do that just yet, however, I am loving it a lot more now that it's white.

I was at my ex-husband's house transplanting raspberry bushes yesterday and I confiscated the phone that sits on the bedside table.  I said to him, 'You got rid of your landline, right?' and he said yes.  I said, 'I am taking this phone then.'  and he said 'What do you mean? That was a gift from our son!'  So I said, 'Well, you just regifted it to me then, and our son has great taste.  Consider this my payment for the back breaking labour I just did for you.' 

Anyway, I used Krylon spray paint with primer added, and this paint covers more area than the same paint that doesn't have the primer in it.  I needed three cans for this queen sized bed.

Here is the before, taken soon after I had painted all my bedroom furniture black:

 

Garden Wreath

I made a garden wreath using dollar store greenery and some silk hydrangea, a lutin, and an unidentified purple thingum I had in my stash.  

I recycled the straw wreath form, ripping off the horrid arrangement I put together a decade ago when I wasn't very good at doing this sort of thing.

Lilacs On Display

It's such a travesty that lilacs last such a short time; but I'm exceedingly happy that I'm able to enjoy them while they bloom.  

I have enormous amounts of them in every room and the house smells like Heaven must.

Catfish Pencil Case With Zipped Lip

I was asked to make a catfish case for a little boy, so I adapted the pattern which you can find in this tutorial.  After doing some research, I changed the fins to resemble those of a catfish and added some whiskers using double fishing wire that I wrapped in heavy duty nylon thread.

 For this fish, I cut some thin foam to insert into the fins to give them bit of stiffness.

 

Ruffled Lamp Shade Makeover With Tutorial

I wanted to change these lamp shades to the more up to date drum shape, but I can't find any that are cheap enough. 

I decided to revamp them to tide me over until I find a sale, so I spent a few hours making them look ruffled.

Here's the before:

You can see how I did it after the cut.

Label Your Toiletries To Match

I care a little bit more about packaging than I should. I will buy something mediocre if the packaging is fabulous.  I should work in the packaging industry.

Anyway, I have been wanting to label my toiletries to match ever since I saw a medicine cabinet organization post on Martha Stewart's website. Yes, I am in awe of Martha's attention to detail, I admit it.

So I designed some pretty labels and printed them out on white tissue paper. I simply wrapped a regular sheet of copier paper in tissue, carefully taped it down and fed it through the ink jet printer.  

I removed the labels from white plastic bottles that I washed out and have been saving for this day, then cut out the new labels and carefully glued them down with Mod Podge, and coated the surface with another application of the Mod Podge so that they are water resistant.

All my bottles match! Heaven!